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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23132725">A Fighting Chance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdaptableAmpersand/pseuds/AdaptableAmpersand'>AdaptableAmpersand</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ginny's pov, Return of Dumbledore's Army</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:13:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23132725</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdaptableAmpersand/pseuds/AdaptableAmpersand</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Wizarding World is in chaos. At a Hogwarts now run by Death Eaters, Ginny Weasley and her friends know that bringing back Dumbledore's Army might be their only hope of surviving in a world turned upside down.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luna Lovegood &amp; Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom &amp; Ginny Weasley, Seamus Finnigan &amp; Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Fighting Chance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ginny had taken her O.W.L.s last spring, she kind of figured that the results would be what played a major role in her future. Or at least that winning the Quidditch Cup would open doors for maybe going pro. Ginny was going to have options, she told herself.</p><p>Ha. That’s definitely what happened.</p><p>Within a month, Death Eaters had made it into the school en masse and Dumbledore was killed. The world seemed to fall into chaos. The students left Hogwarts early, final exams far from anyone’s minds, but that hardly made things better. Ginny’s father brought home concerns about the Ministry’s security every day. Ginny’s mother seemed to be holding things together outwardly, but Ginny knew her well enough to see the panic in her eyes trying to keep her children safe and deep down, Ginny really couldn’t blame her. From what she could piece together, the Order of the Phoenix was scrambling as well. Dumbledore’s presence could not simply be replaced, let alone without a moment’s notice.</p><p>Bill’s wedding was the one bit of hope for them all. As much as Ginny didn’t love Phlegm-ahem-Fleur’s “Darling Ginny vould be so pretty if…” comments and the fact that they struggled to hold a conversation between them about anything that really mattered, Ginny could admit she was grateful for the wedding itself. She thought that this occasion at least would bring her family and friends some momentary peace.</p><p>As fucking if.</p><p>Within two months, the Minister of Magic was dead. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had gone into hiding, along with so many of the wedding guests. Ginny’s mother was practically catatonic with anxiety and had her practically on lockdown as her only remaining underage child. Ginny’s world felt like a mess of inescapable danger.</p><p>The rest of the summer went on in that state. Ginny woke early one morning to hear an argument between her parents.</p><p>“She’s still a child!” her mother cried, “The others may be adults, but she’s not.”</p><p>“Molly, the time has passed for us to be able to spare her from this. There’s no avoiding this war and by keeping her in the dark, we’re only putting her in more danger.” Ginny crept down the stairs slowly. Her parents didn’t seem to hear them creaking.</p><p>“But with Snape in charge, how on Earth is Hogwarts a safe place for her? For any of them?”</p><p>“I know.” Ginny’s father sounded so tired and afraid himself. “I don’t like it either. The last thing I want is to send our daughter anywhere near that murderer. But we don’t have a choice. We are barely getting away with the ruse about Ron. Keeping Ginny here would put her in more danger.”</p><p>Ginny entered the living room.</p><p>“I’m going back,” she declared. Her parents turned, startled, to look at her.</p><p>“Ginny…” her mother began.</p><p>“I’m going back to Hogwarts. Like Dad said, it’s not safe, but nowhere is. I need to at least keep learning to defend myself.”</p><p>All of the sudden, her mother wrapped her up in a hug and began crying in earnest. Her father wrapped his arms around them both. The three stood there together for what felt like hours.</p><p>***</p><p>September 1st was an eerily quiet affair. Ginny had been used to a bustling Platform Nine and Three-Quarters for as long as she could remember, since Bill had started school. She had never seen it like this. For starters, it felt much emptier on the platform. None of Ginny’s muggle-born classmates were in sight and the students who were there didn’t linger like they usually did before boarding the train.</p><p>People even spoke quietly, almost out of some seeming fear that You-Know-Who himself would hear them, Ginny thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Neville with his grandmother. They nodded at each other. Ginny saw Luna hugging her father and waved. Luna smiled wide upon seeing Ginny, her expression the one spot of brightness left in the station.</p><p>Ginny’s parents hugged her.</p><p>“Be safe. You and your friends need to keep each other safe,” her mother told her.</p><p>“I will. We all will,” Ginny assured her.</p><p>“Keep in contact with us about what’s going on at Hogwarts,” her father said, “We’ll do our best to keep you in the know as well.”</p><p>Ginny nodded. That was something they had agreed upon in terms of Ginny’s going back to Hogwarts. The family was past the point of keeping secrets to try to preserve some sense of innocence for her. It was far too late for that sort of thing.</p><p>She boarded the train and looked out the window the moment she reached the compartment with Luna, Neville, and Seamus Finnigan. Her parents watched for her and Ginny did the same as the train began to move, picking up speed until they had left the station.</p><p>Luna hugged Ginny as she turned away from the window.</p><p>“I’m so glad to see you,” Ginny said quietly.</p><p>“Me too,” Luna replied.</p><p>“Neville, Seamus,” Ginny greeted once the hug had ended. “How have you been, given everything?”</p><p>“Alright so far, you know, given everything,” Neville replied, “I’m worried about leaving Gran alone in the house.”</p><p>Seamus sat next to Neville, an anxious expression on his face that Ginny had never seen outside of watching a close Quidditch match.</p><p>“My mum didn’t want to let me come back,” Seamus said, “But it’s mandatory this year, so what choice did she have?” Seamus looked to each of them in turn. “Dean’s not coming back. His last owl to me was three weeks ago. I think he’s going into hiding.” There was a slight tremor in Seamus’ voice.</p><p>“Ron, Hermione, and Harry are gone too.”</p><p>The group lapsed into silence for a few minutes, with only the sounds of the train in motion and conversation from other compartments. Then, all of the sudden, the train came to a sudden stop.</p><p>“What’s happening?” Ginny heard someone shout from the next compartment over. She and her friends looked warily at each other. Before any of them could speak, the door to the compartment flew open and a man in dark Death Eater robes stood before them, with two other similarly-dressed figures standing behind him.</p><p>Neville stood suddenly. “Hey, losers,” he said, “He isn’t here. You aren’t going to find Harry Potter on this train.”</p><p>Ginny grabbed her wand from her pocket suddenly, ready to cast a hex at the slightest hint of violence. But the Death Eaters merely gave Neville a murderous glare and stormed off to check the next compartment. When they had left, Neville slammed the door shut and slumped down in his seat, his moment of intense courage apparently draining him of his energy.</p><p>“Hey,” Seamus said quietly, “What the hell are we going to do? This is only the start, Death Eaters are going to be everywhere. Hogwarts is nowhere near safe, so what are we going to do?”</p><p>“We learned to defend ourselves in the DA,” Luna said.</p><p>“Yeah, but that was years ago. And I don’t think that’ll end up being enough. I mean, Harry’s gone, it’s not like he can lead us again like he did before.”</p><p>Ginny sat up in her seat. “Harry’s gone,” she repeated, “But we’re not.”</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“We’re not just going to sit here and let this all just happen to us. We may not have Harry, or Hermione, or Ron, or Dean, but that doesn’t mean we can’t defend ourselves.”</p><p>Ginny looked around the compartment to each of her friends in turn.</p><p>“We’re going to fight.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My own world feels a bit upside down at the moment. My university just closed for the rest of the semester because of the coronavirus and there's concerns of a quarantine maybe happening here soon. I really don't know what's coming next for me in these upcoming few months, so this is my means of coping for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. There's more to come.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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